SMILE

Hi and welcome back

Stroke is no joke! It is the leading cause of disability and as such creates the greatest cost in dollars as well as lives disrupted.

BUT, by learning three simple things and helping others to learn them too we can recognize when it is happening and get help FAST!


Please just do these two steps (it's that simple)

Step 1:

watch this video (it is a catchy tune)



Step 2:

Share this video with everyone that you can.

Just copy either of these links into an email if you want and send it to all of your friends.

http://signsofastroke.blogspot.com/2009/09/smile.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0Gg2A_GVCk



You can share the video on Facebook and Twitter too.

That's it just two simple steps to increase stroke awareness and help people know when it is happening to them or someone they love.

THANKS!!!

Smiles :o)

Gary

Is this the future....or not?

Hi Everyone

Check this out... Dr Jill Bolte Taylor is a featured guest blogger on Moblogic TV. Are we looking at the future of brain science here or just a confused stroke survivor who got lost in the lengthy recovery process from her stroke of almost twelve years ago.

You tell me... Read the blog post, watch the interview and then post your thoughts back here as a comment. Or follow me on Twitter and tell me @garydotgray

Guest Blogger: Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor

"Everything we are capable of thinking, feeling or doing is because we have cells in our brain that perform that function. I can track a moving target because I have cells designed to do that. I can move my finger because I have cells wired specifically for that function. Once those cells are either traumatized or die, then I can no longer perform that function.

On an emotional level, I can experience anger or sadness or loneliness, because I have emotional circuitry, made up of cells that perform those functions. Equally important, I have the ability to experience deep inner peace or a connection with something that is greater than I am, because I have cells that perform those functions."

Go to the post to read the remainder of Dr. Taylor's comments

Enjoy and be sure to comment with your thoughts.

Smiles :o)

Gary

Meet Kyle Jay a Brain Stem "Locked in" Stroke Survivor.

Hi Everyone

In March of this year (2008) I was introduced by Cathy Sinclair of the Heart and Stroke Foundation of PEI to a young man from our community by the name of Kyle Jay.

Cathy introduced me by way of telling me that Kyle had suffered a Brain Stem Stroke and was "locked in". He and his family were in a hospital in Halifax (200 miles away) and could I be available to be contacted by them and help them with access to getting support from the stroke community.

So after an email introduction to Kyle's mom Darlene I began to get the word out to the stroke community and stroke survivors and caregivers started to respond to my request to contact Kyle through his FaceBook group, email or a personal visit.

Thank you every body for your support. Kyle has been moved back to te Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Charlottetown where he continues to make good progress with his recovery.

He was moved into the Rehab Unit on Monday where I got to visit him (and meet him for the first time) Monday evening and his dad (Garth) snapped this picture of us together.

Here is a link to my Stroke Network Blog where I have been re posting Darlene's FaceBook posts so that Stroke Network Members that don't have a FaceBook account could follow Kyle's progress.

Here is a link to Kyle's FaceBook Group so you can learn more about this amazing young man.

Kyle is an amazing young man through his "can do" attitude, his great smile and laugh, support of his family, friends and community as well as members of the world wide stroke community Kyle is accomplishing the impossible. (recovery from a brain stem stroke and a "locked in" condition)

Yes Kyle is a real life inspiration to all stroke survivors everywhere. "Yes We Can"

Smiles :o)

Gary

At least half of Canadians do not treat stroke as a medical emergency

Hi Everyone

ONLY... 24 out of every 100 people in some provinces in Canada would call 9-1-1 if they or someone that they knew was experiencing the warning signs of stroke.

A new report reveals:

At least half of Canadians do not treat stroke as a medical emergency, warns the Heart and Stroke Foundation Report on Stroke. In a national poll of adults, the Heart and Stroke Foundation found that less than half would call 9-1-1 if they or someone they know experienced warning signs of stroke.

When we realize that some 50,000 Canadians suffer stroke every year of which the majority either die or are permanently disabled is it any wonder that we need to promote Stroke Awareness in Canada.

Click here to read the entire report.

Smiles :o)

Gary

My three video clips on High Blood Pressure and Stroke

Hi Everyone

In February 2008 I was asked by our local hospital foundation if I would participate in a televised interview on the subject of High Blood Pressure and Stroke.

It was recorded at the local Community Cable Chanel Studio along with Karen Brown a health nurse with the hospital.

The actual full interview lasted about an hour but I have posted (on You Tube) three clips of seven minutes each just to give you an idea of how the interview went.

So click here to go and view the clips.

If you like them please feel free to rate them or digg them etc. That way they can be shared with more people and that increases awareness of stroke and stroke recovery issues as well.

The more we care means the more we share....

Smiles :o)

Gary

Learn/Leisure Therapy... Dr. Nancy Mayo

Hi Everyone

Here is a unique opportunity to hear the voices of stroke

BUT!...Before you listen. Check out Dr. Nancy Mayo's presentation "Getting on with the rest of Your Life after stroke: Mission Possible...

I have just uploaded an audio (WAV) file of the recording that I did at the "Strategies for Stroke Recovery" Conference in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Canada. (Nov 07)

It is a recording of Dr. Nancy Mayo's presentation "Getting on with the rest of Your Life after stroke: Mission Possible" (about an hour in length)

http://www.blackberrykewl.com/files/drnancymayo.wav

Just click on the link to listen to the presentation (the entire presentation is interesting but the last half really talks about us as stroke survivors fitting back into our communities and getting on with the rest of our lives.... post stroke)

I would really appreciate having your comments on this idea of "Learn/leisure therapy" does it sound like something that could work for you?

Now click on the link above to listen to the "Voices of Stroke"...Thanks.

Smiles :o)

Gary

Stroke Awareness hits the Big Screen

Hi Everyone

Stroke Awareness hits the Big Screen
The Calgary Stroke Program is bringing a fresh approach to stroke education in the Calgary Health Region with a new independent short film titled “Inside Out.”
The first of its kind developed by a health region in Canada, the film is a fictional story that focuses on the health, wellness, and lifestyle choices of a young professional woman trying to balance work and family life. Now available on the Region’s website, the film trailer for Inside Out is also set to air at the Calgary International Film Festival from September 21 to 30, and will be available on YouTube later this month.
Thelma Inkson, Vice-President, Northwest Community Portfolio and Foothills Medical Centre, says the Region needs to step outside the box to find ways to reach out to the community. “Hopefully by bringing our messages to the big screen, the film will capture the interest of people and will allow us to tell a story that will resonate in the Calgary community,” she says.
“A stroke is not just a disease of the elderly – it can happen to anyone at anytime,” says Dr. Michael Hill Director of the Calgary Health Region’s Stroke Unit. “That’s why it’s so important for all of us to know the warning signs of stroke and to act immediately when they occur. This type of film is a perfect vehicle to get that message out to our community in a new and exciting way.”
The Calgary Stroke Program, a partnership between the Region and the University of Calgary’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences, is one of the top programs in North America for stroke research and treatment. Now, through its involvement with the Alberta Provincial Stroke Strategy (APSS), the Stroke Program is collaborating with the other eight health regions, Alberta Health Wellness and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, NWT, and Nunavut to standardize stroke care and awareness throughout the province.
“Funding for this project wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the APSS,” says Dr. Hill. “In addition to working to standardize the continuum of stroke care throughout Alberta, the APSS mandate also focuses on supporting the development of programs and tools to educate the public on the signs and symptoms of stroke.”
“We can’t control our family history, age, gender, or ethnicity,” says Dr. Hill. “But we can try to change the way we live – we can eat healthier, exercise, quit smoking. Some strokes can be prevented. Hopefully, the more we send this message out there, the less often we’ll have to treat strokes in the future.”
For more information:
To arrange interviews with members of Calgary Stroke Program, contact Léora Rabatach,
Communications, Calgary Stroke Program at (403) 944-8637 or (403) 875-8716.
To view click the link below.

Inside Out

Thank you for taking this valuable time from your busy day to view this life saving information. Please tell others!

Smiles :o)

Gary

Stroke Network Stroke Awareness

Hi and welcome back

I want to give you a link to a review that is found in the October issue of The StrokeNet Newsletter an online newsletter that can be very helpful to stroke survivors and their families as well as anyone wanting to know more about stroke.

Click here to read the review.

Once you have read the review, be sure to follow the links that will take you through this very valuable stroke awareness information.

I hope that you find the information helpful in your search for stroke related information on the internet.

Smiles :o)

Gary

Signs of a Stroke

Recognize the signs of a stroke when you see them.

Weakness: Sudden loss of strength or sudden numbness in the face, arm, leg, even if temporary.

Trouble Speaking: Sudden difficulty speaking or understanding or sudden confusion, even if temporary.

Vision Problems: Sudden trouble with vision even if temporary.

Headache: Sudden severe and unusual headache.

Dizziness: Sudden loss of balance, especially with any of the above signs.

The signs may be mild or severe.

If you see or experience one or more of these signs of a stroke, call 911 immediately.

Source: Heart and Stroke Foundation of Prince Edward Island